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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23523268">trade our places (take no chances)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/4wholecats/pseuds/4wholecats'>4wholecats</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, body horror warning for orson and orson related activities, eirika is from space. everyone else is not. shenanigans ensue, half a space AU, space eirika bodyswaps with normal eirika and has to capture renvall</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:35:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,154</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23523268</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/4wholecats/pseuds/4wholecats</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eirika, princess of the Renais intergalactic empire, wakes up on a straw mattress with a sword by her side. Even in this strange fantasy world, where magic is real and technology is practically non-existent, her brother must be rescued from Renvall.</p><p>And somewhere, in another dimension far away, Princess Eirika of the fallen kingdom of Renais wakes up, miles away from the nearest planet as she drifts among the stars.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eirika/Seth (Fire Emblem)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. i feel incapable of...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this idea absolutely spawned from me thinking:<br/>"space princess eirika cool... what would the other characters be?"<br/>"...."<br/>"franz is a gun."</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Princess…”</p>
<p>Eirika groaned. Her bed was a lot harder than it usually was… it couldn’t be morning already, could it?</p>
<p>“...Gimme ten more minutes…” she mumbled, rolling over to shove her face into her pillow. She felt herself dip back into sleep for only a second, before a strange smell roused her again. Was that… was that dirt?</p>
<p>“Princess, you need to pack! Please get up,” The muffled voice of a young man met her ears. </p>
<p>She opened her eyes a sliver, just enough to look at the clock on her bedside table. Except that there was no clock. And no table, either. In fact, she appeared to be on the ground, in some sort of sleeping bag, no less. Fully awake now, she stumbled to her feet, head whipping around as she took in her sparse surroundings. She was in… a tent? It was quite dark, but sparse light filtering through the canvas fabric above her head illuminated a drab, rustic living space. A blanket stretched across the earthen ground with a bedroll on top, a crate full of books and paper, a sword (a REAL sword!) laying innocently in one corner next to a pair of boots…</p>
<p>“Princess!” The voice outside called again. Whoever it was, they sounded… not agitated… nervous? </p>
<p>“I’m coming just give me…” Eirika freed herself from the blankets and fumbled with the clasps on the tent flaps. For a dream, this was all very detailed, she thought as she poked her head out of the opening. A blond young man stood before her, one hand outstretched, as if he was debating on entering the tent himself. He quickly withdrew as she made herself known to the world, relief plastered plainly on his face.</p>
<p>“Like I said, Princess, you have to pack your things! It’s nearly midday and we’re marching in less than an hour!”</p>
<p>“March….” Eirika only half listened to the boy, who was scrambling to recapture her attention. Around her tent were sights she has only read of in story books as a child; men and women clad in armor, holding all sorts of fantastical weapons, a woman waving her hands as wind danced at her fingertips, a winged horse soaring through the sky above all of them. Everyone seemed to be in the process of packing their own meager tents, loading their belongings onto wooden wagons. Eirika marveled at the carts; they had wheels and everything!</p>
<p>She stepped out of the tent, but the boy, who couldn’t have been more than fourteen, darted in front of her.</p>
<p>“Princess, you can’t go in your sleeping clothes! Are you feeling alright?” </p>
<p>She looked down to find that, yes, she was indeed wearing what she could only assume was some sort of nightgown. She darted back inside the tent, squinting in the darkness. A bag in the corner revealed itself to be full of neatly folded clothing, which she struggled into. After fumbling with the buttons on her shirt for a few moments (her dreams could make flying horses, but not zippers?), she exited the tent, greeting the boy again as he looked on, eyebrows pinched together. </p>
<p>“Where are we going?” She asked, looking around at the incredible sights again.</p>
<p>“We’re getting ready to march! The general sent me ‘cause he was worried you’d overslept.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Well, I’m awake now, so no need to worry about it. Where are we marching?”</p>
<p>The boy looked at her as if she had grown a second head.</p>
<p>“Are you absolutely sure you aren’t ill, Princess?”</p>
<p>“I’m fine! I just need… a little reminder is all.” She gave him her most innocent smile. She had lucid dreamed before, but this one was proving harder to control than usual. It almost felt... too real.</p>
<p>“We are marching on Fort Renvall. Your brother is imprisoned there, or so we hear.”</p>
<p>A strange parallel to the events of her real life. Fort Renvall seemed to be this dream’s version of the Renvall satellite station, which orbited Grado and currently housed her brother’s ship, as well as his guards. </p>
<p>“Well then, lead on. I wouldn’t want to keep my brother waiting!”</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Swords were heavy. Even the light rapier she had been given was several pounds heavier than the gun she was used to, and the armor she had been directed towards wasn’t helping. She fiddled with the straps on her breastplate as she looked over the lake at the fortress. It was well defended, if one could call simple wooden ballistas an effective defense in this world. She considered the drab stone building before her. With even one of her usual weapons, she could take down every enemy soldier herself without blinking an eye. </p>
<p>“Princess Eirika.”</p>
<p>Ah, now there a voice she recognized. Seth would often be the one to wake her in the morning, so this strange dream must have been coming to a close. However, she felt no pull towards wakefulness, instead being greeted by the sound of horse hooves over densely packed dirt. </p>
<p>“Princess?”</p>
<p>She turned, looking up into the face of a man she did not recognize. Yes, he certainly sounded exactly like Seth, but her most devout companion was not an armored man riding a horse, lance in hand and sword attached to his belt. Seth was a massive collection of wires, circuits, and server towers hastily stored in the cargo hold of her personal ship, an unfortunate side effect of being forced to leave Renais so abruptly. He was responsible for taking care of her until they found Ephraim, doing everything from steering the vessel to making sure she didn’t die of boredom while alone in the vacuum of space. She looked up at the man inquisitively.</p>
<p>“Seth?”</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p>
<p>“Huh…”</p>
<p>The man looked at her blankly for a second, before his expression became unsure.</p>
<p>“Franz informed me that you woke up confused, are you sure you’re ready for battle? You can stay with the convoy if you are feeling unwell.”</p>
<p>“...Franz?”</p>
<p>Franz was the name of her personal laser pistol, or at least the rudimentary AI inside. So then, was Franz the boy from earlier? She turned to face Seth fully as he looked down at her, concern written all over his face.</p>
<p>“Princess,” he said as he dismounted, “you are clearly unwell, please let me bring you to a healer-”</p>
<p>“Wait!” Eirika stumbled back as he stepped forward. “I need you to pinch me.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Pinch me. On my arm.”</p>
<p>“My lady, I am not going to-”</p>
<p>Eirika frowned, before taking off her glove and pinching the exposed skin of her forearm. Nothing happened. </p>
<p>“I’m not waking up.”</p>
<p>“What?” Seth, who was usually quite deadpan in her experience, sounded confused and concerned as he stepped towards her again.</p>
<p>“This is all a dream! I’ll wake up in my bed, and you’ll tell me I’ve overslept, and I’ll tell you to stop worrying so much, I’ll choke down a nutrient packet for breakfast and everything will go back to normal…”</p>
<p>“Princess, I can assure you that this isn’t a dream-”</p>
<p>“Of course it is,” Eirika said, more to herself than to Seth, “it has to be…” She pinched herself again.</p>
<p>“Stop-” Seth pulled her hand away from her arm as small welts began to form, “Stop doing that. You’ll hurt yourself.”</p>
<p>“It has to be a dream… It has to be a dream…”</p>
<p>“<em> Eirika! </em>”</p>
<p>Seth’s tone shook her out of her thoughts, which were further dispelled as he shook her shoulder, grasp firm.</p>
<p>“Why do you think this is a dream?”</p>
<p>“Wh… Seth, this is nothing like how everything usually is! We’re supposed to be in space right now, on our way to rescue my brother from a Grado prison satellite! This is… this is a fantasy land!” She could tell by his distressed expression that her words weren’t making sense.</p>
<p>“We are rescuing your brother, my lady. He’s in that fort, right across the river.”</p>
<p>Eirika shoved his hand away.</p>
<p>“No! He isn’t! He’s in a big metal spacecraft, somewhere up there,” she pointed towards the heavens, “and we’re on our way to rescue him. All of this is terribly wrong, Seth. Can’t you tell? By the gods, just look at yourself!” She gestured wildly towards the man, who looked down at his shoes and then back to her, clearly not seeing what the problem was.</p>
<p>Panic setting in, Eirika’s knees began to wobble. Surely, all of this was a strange dream? Her last thought before she fainted was of her brother’s face… She hoped that even in this strange world, he was alright. </p>
<p>---</p>
<p>When she next awoke, it was to the rumbling sound of cart wheels beneath her. She sat up quickly, looking around. She was in some sort of convoy, nestled among boxes of supplies and weapons (was this how Seth, HER Seth, usually felt?). A soft gasp came from her right side, and a young woman in white revealed herself, kneeling on the floor next to Eirika. </p>
<p>“How are you feeling, Princess?” In her hand was a strange staff of some sort, with a glowing glass orb at the top. Her white robes spilled out onto the wood under her, almost giving off a wedding dress effect as she settled onto the floor. </p>
<p>“I…. I’m not quite sure, to be honest.” Eirika responded. She took another look at the woman’s face.</p>
<p>“Do you know who I am?” the lady asked, and after a moment of pondering, the name came to her. </p>
<p>“You’re… You’re Natasha. You’re a surgeon from Grado, correct?” </p>
<p>Natasha smiled, nodding slightly. “I don’t know about <em> surgeon </em>, but yes, I am Natasha. I’m a cleric from Grado, my lady. A servant of the divines sworn to heal the injured… I was asked to watch over you during the march.”</p>
<p>“A cleric…” An old-fashioned word, but with approximately the same meaning. “Tell me, have I gone mad then?”</p>
<p>“Mad? Oh, I don’t know if I would be a good judge of that… I think you might be ill in some way, if anything. This has been a long and stressful journey for you, so we all understand if it's starting to take its toll…”</p>
<p>Eirika sighed. She was stressed indeed. Mostly because of the sudden shift in universal norms, but also because she was concerned for her friends. Was her Ephraim safe? Her Tana? Lyon?</p>
<p>The cart rumbled to a halt, and a short, purple haired woman crawled in to nestle in among the boxes with them. She regarded Natasha with a brief nod before focusing entirely on Eirika, notebook open and quill poised over a blank page.</p>
<p>“So. I heard something strange has happened to you. Would you care to tell me all the details?” She said, wasting no time on small talk. </p>
<p>“Lute… I think it might be best if she rests for now…” Natasha said, not unkindly. </p>
<p>“No, wait-” it was Eirika’s turn to interrupt now, “I know you too… You’re a researcher, right?” The other woman set her shoulders back, brimming with pride.</p>
<p>“I am a researcher of the highest order, naturally. I hear that you’ve got some information on some very interesting things, and I want to hear everything about them.”</p>
<p>“So you don’t think I’ve gone mad?” Eirika sat up, maneuvering herself to sit cross-legged on the floor as the cart began moving again.</p>
<p>“Mad? No, probably not. I’ve seen mad, and usually it doesn’t involve someone trying to… what were you doing? Trying to pinch yourself awake, as if in a dream? People only do that when they can’t believe what they are seeing. You have enough sense to know that something has changed, and I want to know everything. Were you cursed? Are you perhaps a traveler from a distant future? Are you a monstrous copy of the princess that does not yet know it’s true form? Regardless of the answer, I intend to find out.”</p>
<p>“A monster, Lute? Surely accusing the princess of that, especially when she’s in this state-” Natasha chastised the other woman before Eirika raised her hand to interrupt. </p>
<p>“No, wait. You say you’re still a researcher, even in this world? Then I’ll work with you. I want to know what’s going on here too. I clearly don’t belong in this world, but you all still seem to know me, right? Something strange has happened, and I need to know what so that I can return to my own home. I have people waiting for me there!”</p>
<p>Lute grinned.</p>
<p>“I’m glad to hear it, Princess. Now, if I could ask a few quick questions before we really get into things… Firstly, you are Princess Eirika of Renais, are you not?”</p>
<p>“I am.”</p>
<p>“And you claim… that you are from another world?”</p>
<p>“I’m… I’m not quite sure, really. This place is so different from where I’m from, it’s like walking into a story book.”</p>
<p>“Different in what way?” The purple haired woman leaned forward in her seat, scratching away at the paper in her lap. Paper… real paper. It had been years since Eirika had seen any of that.</p>
<p>“Different in… nearly every way, really. The changes… they’re so vast, I don’t know where to start with my explanation!”</p>
<p>Lute tapped on her chin with her quill.</p>
<p>“Let’s start with the people. You seem to know many of us. Are we all the same in your universe?”</p>
<p>Eirika thought for a moment.</p>
<p>“Hmm… I guess it depends on the person. Lute, in my universe, you’re a researcher as well, but I saw you doing magic earlier, so you probably aren’t researching the same sorts of things. In my world, you make terribly strong weapons made of metal. Sort of like the ballistae, but if they fired energy instead of bolts. You are our army’s weapons technician.” The woman in question scribbled on her page so fast Eirika almost worried the paper would catch on fire. </p>
<p>“And Natasha, you’re there too! In my world, you’re a doctor, a trauma surgeon specifically… Which is like a cleric, except you use bandages and science to heal wounds instead of… Magic?” Eirika paused to look questioningly at the staff in the cleric’s hands. “Also, in my world, there is no magic. That’s probably an important thing to mention.”</p>
<p>“No magic at all? No mages, and no healers? How are battles fought? Have the gods abandoned your world?” Natasha spoke up this time, voice fraught with concern.</p>
<p>“Well, uh… In my world, I don’t think there was any magic at all. Instead, people just got better and better at building things, until they were so good that science became basically indistinguishable from magic. We can do things like create fire, and summon great winds, but we use machines to do it.”</p>
<p>“How amazing…” Lute mumbled. “And you do this all from where? The ‘space’?”</p>
<p>Eirika giggled “Just space, not ‘the space’. It’s what lies beyond the sky, where you would go if you went up and up, higher than you can ever imagine.”</p>
<p>“Pegasus knights get lightheaded if they go too high… how can you go up forever?” Natasha seemed to be invested now.</p>
<p>“People invented special machines that could fly higher than pegasi, and we fill them with air so that we can keep breathing so high up!”</p>
<p>“So the riders feel faint due to a lack of air… how interesting. I will have to test this hypothesis later…” Lute was back to muttering into her notes. “Is there anyone else from camp that also appears in your world?”</p>
<p>“Well, I haven’t seen everyone in camp yet so I can’t say for certain… Oh! Franz and Seth are here, but they’re much different from the versions of them that I know.”</p>
<p>“How so?”</p>
<p>“Ah, well… in my world… what’s the best way to describe-” Eirika fumbled over her words. There was no way these two would know what a gun was. </p>
<p>“You know how I was talking about metal machines?” The two women nodded. “Well, in my world, some of the machines have sort of… brains and personalities of their own. Perhaps, imagine if a sword could speak, and had its own opinions on things.”</p>
<p>“How strange… So you're saying that in your world, Franz and the General are talking swords?” Lute asked, causing Eirika to giggle.</p>
<p>“No, not exactly… Well, maybe Franz is. He is the AI- I mean the soul that lives inside my personal weapon. It’s a lot like a magic book, but smaller and metal. He’s not really a whole soul yet, but machines can be improved.”</p>
<p>“A whole soul? Souls are… divisible in your world?” Natasha was visibly concerned again. For a woman of the cloth, the idea of a world with no gods to speak of must be nearly unthinkable, and all this talk of technology was surely going over her head…</p>
<p>“No, wait… I’ve explained this badly… It’s less of… dividing up a soul and more of… let’s see…” Eirika sighed, thinking hard.</p>
<p>“So. You know little kids right? They’re not a full person yet, but if you give them food, and information, and a lot of time, they’ll become one. It’s like that. If you give a machine with a brain more parts, and more information, and some time, it will get bigger and smarter! Franz isn’t a whole machine yet because he was made fairly recently. Some day, he'll get bigger, and he’ll be just as smart as anyone else!”</p>
<p>“And you say General Seth is a machine person too?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but he’s much more advanced than Franz is. He’s been around for much longer.”</p>
<p>“Interesting, and he lives in your weapon as well?” Lute asked, looking up from her notes.</p>
<p>“No, he lives in my basement.” The three women stared at each other for several seconds.</p>
<p>“In the basement of your castle..?” Natasha’s eyebrow was raised inquisitively. </p>
<p>“Ah, I don’t really have a castle anymore, but that’s a different story… No, he lives on my personal vessel with myself and a few others, but once a machine gets too big, most of it needs to be stored somewhere… when we left Renais so quickly, there wasn’t really any room for him aside from there… I still feel bad about it, if I’m to be honest. He says he doesn’t mind, since he can really be anywhere on the ship in spirit, but…”</p>
<p>One look told Eirika that she had lost the other two women. Natasha looked confused, and Lute was so deep in her own notes that Eirika was unsure whether she was paying attention anymore at all. Before she could make any further clarifications, the cart below them rumbled to a halt.</p>
<p>“The fighting must be over… We’ve arrived.” Natasha whispered, peeking out the back. She hopped out and disappeared, leaving Eirika alone with the mage. </p>
<p>“You can go on ahead, I want to finish my notes,” Lute remarked, waving her hand towards the exit without looking up. Scooting to the back of the wagon, Eirika ducked under the canvas covering and stepped out, only to be met with the most gruesome site she had ever seen. </p>
<p>It had been a field at one point, surely. But what was once fresh green grass was now muck, splattered with red. Corpses of people and animals stretched from her feet down to the lake. Medical wagons were lining up to take the horribly injured, and even from this distance, the abundance of mangled limbs and burned flesh was evident. She watched as a young soldier dragged the body of one of his companions through the mud, observing the ballista bolt sticking out of the corpse’s torso.</p>
<p>Battles back home… They surely weren’t this terrible, were they?</p>
<p>In the sea of bodies and soldiers, she spotted white robes, and rushed to follow them. Natasha was distributing small bottles to the injured, pausing once in a while to raise her staff, which glowed with heavenly light. </p>
<p>“Natasha, is there anything I can do?” Eirika felt undeniably useless in this situation, but if she was indeed the princess of this world, then the people here needed her. </p>
<p>“Give vulneraries to the injured!” The cleric called out, making way for a large, bearded man cradling the broken body of a young boy. Natasha hovered over the two of them, waving her staff. The man cried out as the boy began to twitch and shift in his arms, thanking the priestess profusely before rushing to the medical carts for more aid. </p>
<p>Eirika filled her arms with the small bottles, which must have been full of medicine of some sort, and sprinted from soldier to soldier, making sure to give all of the injured their fill. Once she was empty handed, she returned to the cleric. </p>
<p>“Sister Natasha!”</p>
<p>A horse stopped abruptly in front of the women, splattering mud across their legs as it halted. Natasha reached up to accept whatever Seth was trying to hand her, and Eirika desperately grabbed more vulneraries when she realized that the lump in the man’s arms was a body. With a wet clunk, the armored form hit the ground, and by the looks of it, the soldier was barely holding on. Their green armor was cracked and dented, constricting their ribs and causing them to choke and sputter. There was little blood, but the bruising on their face told the princess that blunt force could be just as dangerous as any blade, given the right circumstances. They were whimpering, and they sounded so young…</p>
<p>“Franz…” Natasha whispered as Seth joined her on the ground, pulling at the leather straps of the boy’s destroyed armor. The cavalier took a massive, gasping breath as his breastplate was pulled free, eyes blown wide and tears trickling down the corner of his face. Natasha unbuttoned his shirt, gently prodding at the bruising forming beneath. </p>
<p>“He’s got internal bleeding, help me move him,” she said, waiving Eirika closer. </p>
<p>The princess’s stomach flipped as her fingers came in contact with the ooze-covered ground, grabbing onto the boy’s legs as carefully as she could. Together, she and Seth traversed the battlefield with Natasha in toe, making their way to the wagons with Franz held between them. </p>
<p>The young cavalier wheezed as he was placed in the cart, Natasha climbing in after him.</p>
<p>“The gate must be secured, will you be alright here?” Seth asked Natasha, speaking over Franz’s weak attempts to assure the group that he was fine.</p>
<p>“Yes, he just needs a little more attention with the staff. Are you sure you’re alright yourself?”</p>
<p>Seth nodded, grabbing Eirika by the elbow and steering her away. </p>
<p>“You should stay with me, Princess. It isn’t safe for you to be running around the battlefield in your… present state of mind.” Ah yes, he still thought she had lost her marbles. But in truth, being left alone to wander among the bodies didn’t seem very appetizing at the moment, so she acquiesced. </p>
<p>“Seth, are you sure you’re fine? There’s an arrow in you.” She stared pointedly at the offending weapon, protruding from the front of Seth’s chest. He looked down at it, as if noticing it for the first time. He reached up, snapping the haft in two.</p>
<p>“You don’t need to worry princess. It simply punctured my armor; it barely scratched me.”</p>
<p>“Are you absolutely sure? That’s… an awful lot of blood.”</p>
<p>It <em> was </em> an awful lot of blood, nearly so much that Seth’s coat could have been mistaken for a deep red instead of brown. It was splattered all over his armor and face, much of it still fresh and dripping.</p>
<p>“Please, your highness. None of it is mine.”</p>
<p>“I.. I see.”</p>
<p>He looked around the battlefield once more before motioning that Eirika follow him. She watched as he relocated his horse, mounting it and offering her a hand. She stared at it.</p>
<p>“My lady..?”</p>
<p>“Uh…”</p>
<p>“My lady, we will get there a lot quicker on horseback.”</p>
<p>“Where?”</p>
<p>“The gate. Your brother is inside.”</p>
<p>“Ah…</p>
<p>She took his waiting hand, and with some difficulty, climbed up into the saddle. She had never seen a horse (at least, a real horse) before, never mind ridden one. The saddle was uncomfortable, especially given she was wearing a skirt instead of riding pants, and Seth’s dirty armor pressed uncomfortably against her back. The ride was bumpier than the cart, leaving the princess with an ill stomach, a mild headache, and someone else’s blood soaking through the back of her clothing. She couldn’t have been happier as they slowed to a stop in front of the gate, Seth dismounting first to help her off. </p>
<p>At the sight of the pair, the rag-tag assemblage of guards pulled open the heavy metal gate. The sound of groaning iron was the most familiar thing Eirika had heard all day, and despite the lingering smell of dirt and decay, her frayed nerves calmed just a bit. They trudged through the gates, which closed behind them with a clang. Before they could go any deeper into the seemingly empty castle, Seth turned to her.</p>
<p>“You need to stay close. There still might be enemies here.”</p>
<p>“Of course…” She nodded, hand hovering over the rapier still attached at her hip. Even if she was armed, she didn’t know how to use the blade. As the paladin turned away to continue further into the fortress, she grabbed his arm.</p>
<p>“Seth… I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting. I’ve just been so confused today… I spoke with Lute before, she seems to agree with my… assumptions about what’s going on.”</p>
<p>“What is going on then? Some sort of illness?”</p>
<p>“No, it’s- It’s much more complex than that. Seth, I’m not from this world.”</p>
<p>“...” There was that look again. The one that made her feel like she was losing her mind.</p>
<p>“I think I might have… switched places with the Eirika of this world. I am Princess Eirika of Renais, just not this Renais, if that makes sense.”</p>
<p>“Another world?”</p>
<p>“Yes… Things are so very different where I’m from, Seth. This is more like a place from a book, compared to what I’m used to… I don’t know how it happened, but I just woke up here this morning.”</p>
<p>“So then… If you are not the Eirika of this world, where is she?”</p>
<p>Eirika blanched as she pondered the knight’s question.</p>
<p>“Well… I would assume she’s where I was… She’s safe, if that makes you feel better. There’s a Seth in my world too; you’re different, but I know he’ll keep her safe no matter what. I just… I just want to get back to where I’m supposed to be.” She sighed. Seth looked down at her blankly (or maybe with just a bit of pity) before adjusting his grip on his weapon.</p>
<p>“I’m glad to know the princess, uh… this world’s princess, is safe. I want to know everything that you and Lute discussed so that we can figure out how to fix this, but that will have to be done later. Right now, rescuing prince Ephraim is our top priority.”</p>
<p>“I’m glad that you believe me Seth, really, I am, but… I figured you would be more worried for your own princess, to be honest? I mean. She’s probably scared out of her mind right about now… goodness knows I am…”</p>
<p>“Like you said, my lady. As I will continue to protect you with my life, I would expect this ‘other Seth’ to do the same. All I can do at the moment is trust that she is in good hands.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Eirika said, smiling now, “she is, no need to worry. He’s much more durable than you, after all.”</p>
<p>“Wh-?” Seth quirked an eyebrow at her questioningly, but before he could finish his inquiry, the sound of shoes on tile met their ears. They both turned, Eirika’s grip on her sword fumbling while Seth readied for a fight. However, down the long hallway came only a single cloaked man, who stopped once he realized he was not alone. His sullen face was clouded with desperation, and something else brewed deeper behind his gaze as his eyes flickered back and forth between the two. </p>
<p>“Princess Eirika… And… is that you, Seth?” The man, seemingly exhausted, slowed as he approached, making no move to attack them. It didn’t look as if he had any weapons on him anyways. Seth lowered his sword, recognizing the man, and Eirika peered at him inquisitively. He pulled back his hood, revealing hair greasy with sweat, and a face covered in dirt.</p>
<p>“Sir Orson... Why are you here? You should be with Prince Ephraim.” Seth addressed the man with full recognition now, and while Eirika knew the name… she had certainly never met the man. </p>
<p>Like the Seth from her world, Orson was an artificial intelligence of great power, famously built by the King of Renais himself in his youth. Of course, Ephraim had taken him along when infiltrating the Grado system, but she had only communicated with him a few times herself. Orson was just a little bit famous in her world, since it was uncommon for a machine intelligence to legally marry a human… She had heard he was devastated when Monica, a young navigator for the Renais fleet, had died. This man with his sunken eyes certainly matched everyone’s description of him, physical attributes aside. </p>
<p>“You’re… you were with him right? You were with Ephraim? Is he alright?” She stepped forward, out from behind Seth, who made no move to stop her.</p>
<p>“Yes... Prince Ephraim and I were both captured by Grado forces and held here as prisoners. I just managed to escape my cell... A chance to escape-- It's what I had prayed for…” The man said, seemingly so tired that she feared he would collapse right there. “I do not know whether he is unharmed, my lady… If he still lives, he would be deeper in the fortress somewhere…”</p>
<p>Eirika gasped. Even though this Ephraim was not truly her brother, her heart still reached out for him. Surely her other self would want him back safely. </p>
<p>“If you wish to make sure he escapes alive, I urge that we move quickly, Princess!” She nodded as the bedraggled man spun around to lead them deeper into the fortress. She was so preoccupied with thoughts of her kind-of-brother, that she almost missed the way Seth hesitated to follow. However, he was quickly at her side once more, so she thought nothing more of it. In her world, both her father and Ephraim trusted Orson implicitly, so it was only right that she show him the same courtesy now. </p>
<p>They ran after the man for several minutes, not encountering a single enemy along the way. The corridors seemed to wind in on themselves infinitely, and though Eirika knew nothing of medieval architecture, she was hesitant to say that this seemed like the right way to a dungeon. As they traveled, she drew closer to Seth, who seemed to be getting more agitated by the second. She knew all his ticks back home, which sounds beneath the floors meant what, but even on an unfamiliar face, she could tell that he sensed something was wrong. </p>
<p>“Sir Orson,” he said, almost nonchalantly, “how long ago were you taken prisoner?”</p>
<p>The man in front slowed, looking back at the two, “Some two weeks past. Prince Ephraim and I were forced to surrender. We've been held captive here in this dungeon since that black day.”</p>
<p>“Did you gain any news from your captors during that time?”</p>
<p>“Unfortunately, no. Not a word... Our daily meal was brought to us by servants from the neighboring village. They were instructed not to speak to us, and we heard nothing of the war. Tell me, Seth. How fares Renais?”</p>
<p>Seth’s mouth twitched downwards for a brief second before he schooled his expression back to blankness with practiced ease. “...Renais has fallen. King Fado... The king is dead.”</p>
<p>Eirika’s heart twisted in her chest. Even here… her father was gone? Even in a world full of fantastical magic and near limitless healing, he was dead? Grief also passed over Orson’s sullen face, and he delivered his condolences to her without a second thought. </p>
<p>“I’m… I’m sure it was not your fault, Sir Orson. We have to look to the future, not get stuck in the past.”</p>
<p>“The Grado army is in pursuit of the princess on account of the bracelet she wears,” Seth commented, “Ephraim has a similar one. We must make sure both the Prince and the bracelet are unharmed. </p>
<p>Orson looked at her fully now, and even now, in an undeniably human body, he looked as soulless as any badly maintained machine. </p>
<p>“Grado is after them? If that's the case, Princess... Perhaps you should entrust the bracelets to someone else.”</p>
<p>“Perhaps… but-”</p>
<p>“Give them to me or to Seth. Let someone you trust guard them. If the empire desires your bracelet, you are in danger as long as you hold it. For your own safety, Your Highness, please. What say you? We must not allow the Sacred Stone of Renais to be taken.”</p>
<p>She stared at him, and he stared back, empty. Suddenly, her view was partially obscured by something silver that smelled of blood. Seth’s hand was back on his sword. </p>
<p>“...Sir Orson. I am sorry for this, but please give me your weapons.” He asked calmly, voice echoing off the stone walls around them. </p>
<p>“Seth? I-” Eirika started before he nudged her further behind him. Orson raised his hands innocently.</p>
<p>“What are you talking about, Seth? Can't you see I'm unarmed? Do you think they allow prisoners weapons? What kind of injury have you taken that you suggest such foolishness?”</p>
<p>“If I am mistaken, then I will give you all due apologies. However, there are questions I have that I cannot answer. Too many questions. Why did no enemy reinforcements come from the castle during our battle outside? Why would you escape your cell and yet leave Prince Ephraim in chains? How do you know of the tie between the bracelets and the Sacred Stone?” Seth asked, taking another slow step forward. Orson twitched, sputtering. Before he could answer any of the other man’s demands, Seth continued.</p>
<p>“And why... Why do you conceal a blade within your doublet?”</p>
<p>Orson’s mouth twisted into an ugly expression; furious, upset, and grimly grinning at the same time. He reached for the offending knife, which now that Seth had pointed it out, Eirika could see clearly. Seth raised his weapon into a fighting stance, keeping Orson several paces away from the two as the man stumbled back, charade crumbling. </p>
<p>“Very well. You haven't changed a bit, Seth,” He said, half mumbling into his cloak, “If only Eirika had been alone. You, however, simply will not be deceived.”</p>
<p>Eirika, barely knowing the man (in this form or any other) stumbled back as Seth began to stalk down the hallway after him, like a cat on the hunt. </p>
<p>“Orson. Why did you betray Renais?” He asked, putting one foot in front of the other, watching the enemy carefully. The other man laughed, unhinged and ecstatic. </p>
<p>“My fondest wish will be granted... To spend the rest of my days in the embrace of my loving wife once more…”</p>
<p>The sounds of armored boots on stone tiles rang through the halls then, and the last thing Eirika saw before Seth dragged her away was Orson, head thrown back to the ceiling, laughing like a man who’d inherited the world. </p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Ephraim had joined them during the fight, and even after they had cleared out the fort, Orson was nowhere to be found. Eirika looked over her shoulder again, just to make sure he wasn’t standing at the end of the long, darkening hallway she had found herself in. The baths in the fort were… hardly baths at all. She had never bathed in a large wooden bucket before, and wasn’t looking forward to doing it again. Truly, this world had magical potential beyond comprehension, but no one had invented running water yet?</p>
<p>After further attending to the wounded once everyone had been moved inside, the army had decided to rest here for the night before planning further. The soldiers were tired, and Eirika wasn’t about to argue against a little extra rest. </p>
<p>She wrung her hair out with a thin cloth as she made her way to the room she had been assigned, but stopped as she caught a glimpse of someone else in the hallway. For a moment, her heart stopped, thinking it was Orson waiting to catch her on her own, but she unclenched her muscles when she caught sight of a now familiar head of red hair. </p>
<p>“Seth!” She called out. He turned to her, and she was happy to see that he was no longer dressed like a possible serial killer. </p>
<p>“Princess. What can I do for you?”</p>
<p>“Oh, nothing really, I just wanted to see how you were doing after today… that was more fighting than I’ve ever seen in my whole life…” Seth raised an eyebrow at that.</p>
<p>“Truly? There is no war in your world?”</p>
<p>Eirika laughed sadly, “Oh there’s war, but… it’s far less visceral… You blow up a spaceship, you don’t see the blood. It’s less personal… not that that’s a particularly good thing.”</p>
<p>“Ah,” Seth mumbled, “yes… Lute told me about your… space vessels. I caught up with her while you were away.”</p>
<p>“So you believe me then?”</p>
<p>“Hmm… Well, I’d say I’ve heard stranger things, but alas, I have not. I’m still trying to wrap my head around what a ‘thinking machine’ is… but since I am not the expert on these things, I will leave the ‘figuring out’ to you and Lute. I’ll do my part by continuing to protect you, no matter how long you are here.”</p>
<p>“I’m glad, Seth. I’m glad that no matter where I am, I can trust you.” Eirika said, smiling up at him. In the light of a nearby lantern, the tips of his ears almost looked a little red.</p>
<p>“Of course, Princess.”</p>
<p>Eirika sighed, looking down the hallway towards her room, where there was a nice scratchy straw bed waiting for her.</p>
<p>“Well, I gotta ‘hit the hay’, as you do… I’ll see you tomorrow then!”</p>
<p>“Goodnight, my lady,” Seth said, giving her a rare smile before he turned, walking down the hall and disappearing out of sight.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>“Princess, please wake up.” A voice, slightly muffled by the crackle of an old speaker, roused Eirika from her dreams. </p>
<p>The bright fluorescents beaming down on her bed (her real bed! No straw in sight!) were the warmest, most welcome things in the world as she sat up straight, taking in the scene. Gone were the stone walls, replaced with expertly cut metal and thick airtight windows. She nearly cried out in relief.</p>
<p>“Princess?” Seth asked.</p>
<p>“Oh Seth, you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice…” She said, face planted firmly into her palms.</p>
<p>“I’m glad to hear you are back, my lady. Yesterday was… stressful for all of us.”</p>
<p>“I can only imagine… Seth I have so much to tell you, so much happened… I can barely believe it!” She leapt out of bed, putting on her coziest military grade jumpsuit.  “You can come in, I’m decent.” Somewhere near her desk, a small camera aperture opened, light flicking on. She plopped down in her seat, closing her eyes and breathing in the fresh, recycled air of her small ship. </p>
<p>“My lady, is there anything you need? You must be… shaken, surely?”</p>
<p>Eirika opened her eyes and considered the camera lens in front of her, paying special attention to it’s blinking red light. </p>
<p>“You know Seth, I’d never considered that you’d be a redhead.”</p>
<p>The short feedback whine that came through the speakers relayed the AI’s thoughts before he could properly speak, and Eirika smirked. </p>
<p>Yes, she was home.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. ... seeing the end</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>And now the opposite. I wonder how canon Eirika is doing out there in space?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>content warnings for: graphic descriptions of body horror, orson and orson related activities</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A light roused Eirika from her sound slumber, shining through her eyelids with an almost unnatural brightness. With a grumble, she rolled over, burrowing as deep into her bedding as she physically could, trying to escape the call of morning. What has she said to Franz about opening her tent flaps without her permission? He should know better than this by now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go away…” She mumbled at him, “I need ten more minutes...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wasn’t greeted by the nervous voice of her young retainer, but rather a loud beeping sound, somewhere close to her face. She jolted away, startled, only to fall backwards off a ledge that certainly hadn’t been there the night before. Momentarily blinded and deafened, she curled up onto the floor, groaning slightly from her hard landing. Why the hell was there a sharp drop in her tent?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rubbing her eyes with a fist, she squinted as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> where she remembered setting up camp at all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was in a room, albeit a small, mostly empty one. The sparse decor and greyish palette made her first think she was in a dungeon somewhere, but that theory was quickly put to rest when she realized how unnaturally clean the place was. The walls and floors were completely smooth and spotless, identical on all sides, aside from what she assumed was some sparse attempts at decor. Running her hand along the floor she lay on, it almost felt the same texture as a well crafted piece of armor, or perhaps the flat side of a blade. A metal room?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sat up, looking behind her. The raised cliff she had fallen from turned out to be a bed of some sort, affixed to the wall in the same way a prison cot would be, but with soft blankets and pillows instead of thready rags. As she reached up to use it as leverage, she felt her hand sink into it. Wherever she was, they could afford mattresses of some sort. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The beeping continued to ring in her ears, and she searched for the source, spinning around. Her eyes fell on a small, rectangular object on a nearby table, and she snatched it up. It continued to beep in her hands, so she shook it. Whatever it was, the sudden motion did nothing to calm it down, so she investigated closer. There was a small divot in the side of the box, and when she pressed into it, a soft click met her ears as it gave way slightly. The rectangle lit up in her hands, revealing… a picture?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was certainly a picture, and she recognized herself in it, along with her brother and father. The image itself was so realistic, it looked like a slice of reality rather than an artistic rendition. But, she didn’t remember posing for this piece… and she certainly didn’t own any clothing like</span>
  <em>
    <span> that</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Unconsciously, she reached out a finger to touch her father’s face, but as soon as she made contact with the rectangle, the picture disappeared. It was replaced by a small blue shape, inside of which read “alarm”. Not knowing what else to do with this small device, she pressed down on the word, and thankfully, the grating noise was silenced. The bright light faded from the rectangle, it’s purpose seemingly finished. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hesitantly, Eirika placed it back on the table, moving to investigate the rest of the items in the room. Yes, someone was certainly living here, or at least attempting to. On a nearby dresser lay a small bundle of folded clothes, which she picked up and held in front of her. The shirt and pants were made of a thin fabric that felt smooth against her skin, while the coat was thick and stiff, made of a military grade material. The intricate patterns on the ends of the sleeves told her that whoever the owner was, they were probably quite well off. Looking down at her own attire, she was aghast to find she was wearing nothing but her underclothes (and even then, they looked far different from the ones she usually wore). Looking around the room once more, she decided that whoever these clothes belonged to probably wouldn’t mind her borrowing them, especially since she had been made to sleep in their quarters. The outfit was perfectly sized, despite how strange it felt to wear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She spotted a pair of boots next to the dresser and tried them on. They were a little uncomfortable, but nothing that she couldn’t get used to… How strange that everything seemed to be fitted to her own body exactly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She returned to the desk, straightening the collar of her coat, which was threatening to choke her in it’s stiffness. There were no papers on the desk, simply more strange gadgets and flat pieces of glass. She picked up the one that looked the most unique, a small, metal device in the shape of an L. It also lit up at her touch, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was somehow connected to the rectangle. She glanced again at that too, before picking it up and slipping it into her pants pocket. It must be important, especially since it contained information on her family. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, the feeling of something shifting against her leg startled her from her thoughts. Reaching back into her pocket, she realized that the rectangle was now vibrating wildly, text lighting up on the glass surface.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>//good morning princess!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stared at the sentence, frantically thumbing at the button when the light began to fade. She poked at the words, and the glass changed. She seemed to be viewing some sort of conversation, ending with that last phrase. When she touched the screen, the words would move up and down, revealing conversations long past. Confused, her only solace in the situation was the name at the top of the screen. Franz! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Touching the screen again, a jumble of letters appeared. As she touched them, they would appear under Franz’s greeting, until she had typed out ‘franz is that you’, hitting the word ‘Send’ as it appeared on her screen. The response was immediate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>//yes! hello princess!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She fumbled with the device in her excitement at the idea of a friendly face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘franz where am i’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>//you are in your room aboard your ship. we are enroute to renvall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ship? How strange… yes Renvall was mostly surrounded by water, but not enough to warrant travel by boat… And anyways, none of the ships she’d seen before looked anything like this…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>//you are needed in the control room, princess!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘where is that’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The messages stopped for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>//the control room is outside of your personal room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another short pause.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>//are you feeling well, princess?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Was she? Eirika certainly didn’t feel ill, but she was confused. All of the items she had found only added to her questions, not to mention the fact that she didn’t even know where Franz (or the other members of her army) were. She glanced down to the keyboard once again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘franz where are you’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>//i am right here princess!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The strange L-shaped device, left abandoned on the desk in favor of the message sender, lit up once again, glowing green and yellow at the seams. She hesitated, picking it up again, adjusting her grip on the message sender so that she could select letters with a single hand. She turned the metal thing over, inspecting it. There was a small glass plate on this device too, glowing that same yellow-green as the rest of it. Instead of conversation, it said only one short phrase:</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>AMMUNITION: 40</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now that was a word she understood the implications of. She held it with care now, not knowing how this weaponed worked. The hole in the front seemed like the most logical place for the ammunition to come out, so she pointed it at the ground away from herself. So, Franz was communicating to her through these alien objects? He didn’t sound like he was in great danger, which was a relief, but that didn’t explain where </span>
  <em>
    <span>she</span>
  </em>
  <span> was. Holding the weapon away from her body, she pocketed the rectangle and walked to the door. There was no handle on it, but as she approached, it seemed to sense her presence, opening on its own. A dark room revealed itself to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This room was even more sparse than the last, barely anything inside except for a long curved desk and a metal chair, seemingly attached to the floor. Several small lights, dimmer and more colorful than the ones in the other room, came to life as she stepped in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Princess Eirika.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the sound of that familiar voice, Eirika whipped her head around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stepped further into the small room, peeking around what little corners there were, but the knight was nowhere to be found. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth, where are you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a sound beneath her feet, like something heavy and ancient waking from its slumber, and the desk at the front of the room illuminated itself with dozens of colored circles and rectangles. She approached, eyes still darting around the room in search of her companion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am where I have been since we left, princess. We are approximately six hours from our destination, and all systems are reading normal. You are welcome to do as you wish until we are in position, unless you would like to take over controls.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She followed the sound of his voice as he spoke, leading her over to the glowing desk. Of course, Seth was not there, but his voice emanated from a small circle in the wall, slightly muffled, as if he was speaking through a piece of fabric. So, he wasn’t really here either? What was going on…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sat down in the chair, considering the blinking lights and letters in front of her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Seth spoke again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you like the window open?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Window… yes that sounded nice… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes please, some fresh air would do me quite well at the moment.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing happened for a second, but something clunked deep below her feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...You will have to wait until we land to get fresh air, but I can certainly open the window.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was about to ask him what he meant by that, before being distracted as the wall in front of her began to shift and move, pulling itself back into the floor. Beyond the wall…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beyond the wall was the abyss. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Like a sky at night, stretching out as far as the eyes could see, the blackness went, peppered with bright white lights that could only be stars. She gasped and stood, gaping at the sight in front of her. For a moment, she reeled, the sensation of being detached from her own body overtaking her. It almost felt as if she was going to faint, and she gripped the edges of the desk for support.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Princess, are you alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tore her eyes away from the great blackness beyond, looking again towards the wall that Seth spoke from. She breathed deeply for a moment, the corners of her eyes beginning to sting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Princess?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pushing the instinct to panic and cry back down, she sat in the chair, muscles tight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth… Seth, I don’t know what’s going on…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a stagnant pause, punctuated only by her own breathing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s going on with… what, milady?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everything… What’s going on with everything…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even she realized that that wasn’t the most concise answer, but it was the absolute truth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everything… as in-?” Seth responded, clearly not seeing the problem with what was happening right now. Eirika sighed, straightening up in her seat, leveling her glare towards the sound of his voice. Sulking wouldn’t get her out of this mess.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth, you seem to know what’s going on here, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is my job to know what is happening aboard this ship at all times, yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not how Eirika would usually describe his duties, but he sounded awfully sure of himself, so she didn’t press any further. At this point, any information was valuable to her, even when it didn’t make much sense.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth, I don’t know where we are at all… I’ve never been on this ship before in my life; in fact, I’ve never seen anything like it! I don’t know what any of this stuff-” she pulled the rectangle from her pocket and waved it around- “does, and I</span>
  <em>
    <span> certainly</span>
  </em>
  <span> don’t know why we seem to be</span>
  <em>
    <span> in</span>
  </em>
  <span> the night sky rather than under it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you suffering from some manner of memory loss?” To Seth’s credit, he didn’t sound nearly as concerned as she would have expected. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well if I was, I don’t think I would remember, would I?” She said, a bit of hostility creeping into her voice. But before she could say anything more, she closed her eyes and took another deep breath. She didn’t want to alienate the one factor of this whole situation that she was familiar with. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Seth… I don’t mean to sound rude, I just… I’m pretty confused right now. I don’t think I have any memory loss, no… I definitely have memories, but they don’t involve anything that’s here right now. The last thing I remember is setting up camp in a field, pitching my tent and such… I remember eating dinner around the fire with Neimi and Vanessa, and then retiring for the night. Next thing I knew, I was here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Camping? We haven’t been on solid ground for weeks, Princess. Not to mention, I don’t think you’ve ever gone camping in your life, at least as far as I know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eirika squinted at nothing in particular, a conversation she had once had with Lute sparking in her mind. Perhaps…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth, what do you know of gateways to other worlds?” She asked. Seth paused, and she waited for his answer, watching the stars drift by lasily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Purely theoretical, largely popularized by science fiction in the late twentieth century. There are 7,160,000 results on the network for this topic.” In front of her, the largest plate of glass glowed, filling itself up with words on the topic. The tiny text and constant bright light made her head hurt, so she closed her eyes. Mere seconds later, the light dimmed, seeming to notice her physical distress. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You see, Seth, I spoke to Lute the other day- do you know her?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have met her before, yes. I locked her out of the cargo hold after she attempted to enter with welding tools and a wrench.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eirika didn’t know what those tools were, but sneaking into places in order to do ‘research’ seemed very on brand for the mage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, that sounds approximately like her… anyways, The other day, she was explaining theories of possible other worlds to me. She said that there may be an infinite number of realities out there, and that sometimes they mix with each other because of dark and unknown magic… Perhaps… perhaps that is what is happening here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Define magic.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ummm… Well, it’s when you can change things in the universe by saying an incantation. I think it has something to do with harnessing the forces of the world, but honestly most of the explanations I’ve received have gone far over my head… Not everyone is cut out for the craft, including me,” she said, recalling the time she had almost set Ephraim’s cloak ablaze dude to her lack of control during schooling. That reminded her-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, Seth! In my world, I have a brother, Ephraim. Does he yet live in this world?” She sat up just a little bit straighter, concern for her brother overshadowing her own personal dilemma. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have confirmation that he is alive. Kyle continues to correspond every twenty-four hours on their condition, and Forde sends a panicked and bored message whenever he feels like it. He has sent three in the last hour.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eirika breathed a sigh of relief. Why a prison would let its captives send letters was beyond her, but…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do we know it’s not a trap? Why would they let them talk to us if they are captured?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If any of the messages were hacked, I would be able to trace it. Evidently, the enemy has captured your brother’s ship, but they have not been able to access the inside of it. As long as we can get there before they run out of supplies, they should all be completely unharmed.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank the Gods…” Much of Seth’s words went completely over her head, but the assurance was good enough for her. The relieved silence was short lived however, Seth clearly not buying in to her explanations from before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you believe that you came from another world?” He asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean, I can’t think of another explanation for this… can you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t respond for a moment, seeming to take a bit to think.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aside for a strange mental ailment, I can’t quite think of anything myself… unless this is some manner of cruel joke?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eirika shook her head, despite the fact that Seth, being the disembodied voice that he was, probably could not see her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I would never joke about something like this… to be quite honest, I’m very worried… I… I don’t know how I’m supposed to get home from here. And if I am here, then the Eirika that should be in this world is probably-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-where you came from.” Seth finished her phrase, sounding disheartened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not that you should be worried!” Eirika said. “The Seth from my world will take good care of her, and I believe my friends would support her as much as they would support me! They’re all good people, I promise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad to hear that, Princess, but that does not solve the problem of getting you both back to where you belong. As I’ve said, interdimensional travel is purely theoretical at this point. There isn’t even conformation of other universes outside of this one in the first place.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eirika turned her gaze out towards the stars again, watching them move lazily by, like waves on the surface of a deep, dark lake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s the problem now, isn’t it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There wasn’t much to do on this fancy ship, all things considered. Seth had completely taken over the driving portion, so Eirika was free to do as she wished. At first, she was content explaining as much of her world as she could to the unseen paladin. He hearkened her descriptions back to various works of fiction in this world, and provided some of them to her via the small rectangular device (phone… that’s what he called it). Those stories had entertained her for a short while before the light started giving her a headache again, leaving her where she was now, wandering the small vessel. Seth had warned her not to touch any of the lights (no, they were called buttons), but other than that, she could do what she wanted until they arrived. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth, what’s down here? She asked, stopping in front of a door that would not open by itself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That would be the cargo hold princess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eirika nodded sagely, “Ah, the place Lute isn’t allowed to bring tools into.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I was quite worried she would attempt to disembowel me if given half of a chance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, is this where you live then? May I come in?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a moment of silence, but then something in the door clicked and hissed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose there’s no harm, as long as you don’t touch anything.” Seth said as the metal retreated into the wall, leaving Eirika to stare down into the dark chasm below.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lights sprung into existence along the walls on the other side of the doorway, revealing a vertical sort of hallway, complete with a ladder. She stepped carefully onto it, happy to find it only extended down a single floor. Infinitely grateful that she had chosen to put pants on rather than her typical short skirt, she hopped down from the bottom with a dull, clanging thud. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It looked remarkably like the cargo hold of a typical sea-fairing ship, aside from the difference in building materials. It was rather dark, even with the lights on, and Eirika picked her way across the expanse of metal boxes with care. There were small windows down here similar to those above, acting more like portholes than places to admire the scenery from. The dull glow of far-off celestial bodies did not provide much light, so she was startled when the corner of the room began to pulse and glow with foreign color. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Making her way over to the far side of the room, she was met with five identical metal blocks. Well-, six, but one was laying on it’s side, metal casing partially peeled away revealing its own array of starry lights inside, interspersed with thick black cables. A dull, constant clicking came from this box, inconsistent in speed and tone, sometimes a low grinding sound, and sometimes a high pitched shriek of metal on metal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why is it making that terrible noise?” She asked, looking around for Seth, who she still had not found. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A broken cooling system. We haven’t had the time or the supplies to fix it since leaving Renais.” His voice came from behind her, so close that she jumped in surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Spinning around, she didn’t catch sight of him, only another large metal box, slightly different from the others. It was the same size as the others, standing perhaps two heads above her own meager height, with a pane of cracked glass for a front. Inside of the box looked much like the one laying flayed on the floor, all blinking lights and bundles of thick cables, nestled among slabs and blocks of metal. There was a screen on one side, but it looked to be off. In the dim light, Eirika could make out the crest of Renais, etched into the metal above the screen and it’s accompanying speaker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s gotten quite messy down here since we left-” the box spoke again, leaving a heavy feeling in Eirika’s gut, “but everything is planned to be cleaned and repaired once we capture Renvall.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eirika sighed, reaching up to trace the outline of her country’s symbol, feeling the way that the dust collected in the divots.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Princess?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is everyone else… like this as well?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The color and orientation of the lights inside the box changed before blinking back to their original position.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“In what way?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, obviously I am a human, made of skin and bone and such… but in my world, everyone else is too. Clearly… the same does not apply to this world… Tell me, are there other people in our army? Or am I the odd one out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The broken machine on the floor sputtered slightly as the lights shifted again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He does that whenever he’s thinking</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Eirika mused, oddly numb to this new development. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, there are plenty of other humans in your army. Joshua, Moulder and Lute all come to mind, but there are many more than that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My brother?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very much human, last time I heard.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How about Tana?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She certainly was born a human, but she’s more of a half-step between man and machine now. You need a lot of special augmentations to drive the sort of craft she prefers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Forde? Kyle?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, both machines. It is traditional for members of the royal family to be protected by artificial intelligence, in order to prevent human errors when it comes to defense.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Machines make less mistakes than humans, then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Far less, unless they are broken.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She thought for a moment, choosing not to address the shattered pane of glass or the toppled tower behind her. Clearly, this version of her retainer had seen better days. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What of Franz, then? He was one of my retainers back home, albeit a young, fairly inexperienced one… Not to mention I spoke with him earlier on the phone… Is he in one of these tall blocks?” She motioned out to the group of domino-like structures surrounding them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah no, these are all a part of my network at the moment… you left Franz upstairs on the desk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That small weapon device? </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s Franz</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, at least for now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s so small!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s not very old. He’ll get there one day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I feel bad for leaving him up th-” Eirika was interrupted by a sudden thud, followed by the floor shaking, knocking her to the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Grado is launching their attack. You should return to the control room.” Seth urged her as she used him for leverage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I don’t know how to use any of the controls? What use will I be up there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another rumble coursed through the ship as a small metal box clattered across the floor near her feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t need to do anything, but that room is far safer than down here.” He said as she made her way back to the ladder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She clambered up it with some difficulty, the shaking of the ship threatening to throw her off like a bucking horse. When she arrived at the top, she was just in time to catch a small device skittering across the floor towards her. She held the piece of metal in her hands, recognizing it to be the same small weapon as before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Franz!” She gasped, holding it to her chest protectively. He was far too small to properly defend himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Milady, I need you to go to the control panel.” Seth’s voice came from the desk now, and she practically vaulted over the chair in order to get there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Outside, there was more going on than just stars now. Out there in the darkness, she could see at least a dozen strange floating objects. Occasionally beams of light would shoot out of them, zooming past the ship but leaving it quaking in the aftermath. One of the beams connected directly with the window, and for a moment Eirika thought that she was dead, before realizing it had simply disintegrated against the glass with a thunderous sound. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This vessel is shielded. It will take more than a few lucky shots for the enemy to damage it.” Seth reassured her, but despite his deadpan attempts at comfort, her legs still wobbled like pudding. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-what do you need me to do?” She asked, tearing her eyes away from the oncoming lights and gripping the edge of the desk with her free hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need you to disable manual control of the ship’s weapons. It would be more conductive for Franz and myself to take over for this specific battle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eirika couldn’t agree more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do I do that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ship bucked hard under her feet, nearly causing her kneecaps to fold under her weight. Stumbling, she leaned against the desk completely, trying very hard not to hit any of the buttons by accident.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There is a large button on the top left. It says ‘Manual Control’. Under that, there should be an unlit button that says ‘Automatic Control’. Press the lower button once.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She did as she was told, and both the button and the desk screen lit up a bright red. On the wall to her right, a small hole opened up, metal clicking as it moved. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Put your weapon in there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Franz? H-he’ll be alright, won’t he?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He will be fine. We need him in order to use the larger weapons attached to the ship.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She placed the small device into the hole, where it fit perfectly with a satisfying click. Franz then disappeared as the wall of the ship closed back around the hole, leaving her second hand free to clutch the edge of the desk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This ship can shoot artillery identical to that which the enemy uses against us, but since you don’t know how to use the controls, Franz is our next best option.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t do it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My aim isn’t what it used to be. All the more reason to capture Renvall; supposedly there are resources there that can be used to conduct repairs.” He must have been referencing the topled tower in the basement, but given how touchy the real Seth was about his injuries, she didn’t think now was a good time to press him on what happened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From somewhere overhead, a bright blue beam shot out, hurtling off into the distance and colliding with one of the enemy ships. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It may be best for you to sit, Princess. You may be injured if you fall.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She leaned back into the chair behind her, gripping the armrests hard as the ship swayed beneath her.  She watched as the light beams flew in all directions. Some time during the chaos, more ships had accumulated beside hers, Seth reassuring her that they were all allies. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon, the largest enemy vessel was upon them. It was different from the others, being several hundred times bigger, and made of several spinning rings. It shot artillery out from all directions, daring the small cluster of Eirika’s army to get closer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re here. This is Renvall, Princess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That one seems too big… Seth, what do we do?” She asked, in awe of its size.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing, we simply need to make way for Lute.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lute?” A small, purple haired woman with a notebook came to mind, and Eirika blanched at the thought of her taking on this monster of a spacecraft by herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here she comes now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As her ship backed up, another vessel came into view. This one was long and thin, with a massive tube resting on top. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cover your eyes.” Seth requested, and before Eirika could ask why, a light ten times more blinding than the sun filled her vision. She ducked her head into her hands, colors dancing behind her eyes kaleidoscopically. The light shining through her fingers and eyelids held for several seconds, and only once it began to fade did she begin to squint in the dying brightness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The outermost ring of the massive floating fortress was gone, decimated by whatever higher power Lute had unleashed on it. Only the innermost structure remained, and the hull of it was badly damaged, metal twisting inwards as if struck with a massive fist. Debris and chunks of the spacecraft floated away, propelled by the force of the blast. As a bundle of cables and charred wreckage puttered by in front of her, Eirika drew in a long, stunned breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lute can do </span>
  <em>
    <span>that?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She is quite good at her job. A valuable asset to our army.” Seth responded in the same tone as always, as if he hadn’t just seen the wrath of the gods thunder down outside his front window. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you said she’s a human like me!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She builds machines that do all the heavy lifting for her. Unfortunately, we can’t just use them for everything, since they’re highly destructive and take a while to prepare, but she’s our ‘ace in the hole’, should we need that kind of fire power.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How have we not won already… with those weapons?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ve made it this far, haven't we? All in good time, Princess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their ship began to approach the partially collapsed fortress, the sounds of metal bouncing off the shields echoing around the control room. Eirika started to her feet in shock as a particularly strange shape bounced off the window, posed unnaturally and burned nearly to its core. It still had all of it’s limbs, and through the charred skin and exposed bone, she could see this person had died gaping in surprise and panic. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Gods…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” She gasped, searching the body’s face as it began to drift out of sight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth… I didn’t… There were people there? When Lute… did that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, Princess. Renvall is a major military outpost. I calculate there were at least one thousand members of the Grado army stationed there. There are probably between four and five hundred remaining, so we must stay on our guard.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“All those people…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They were the enemy, Princess. They are keeping your brother prisoner.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes but-” she fumbled, before pausing. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen death on the battlefield before, but this was… different. At home, she remembered the faces of her enemies when she killed them. Sometimes, she even prayed for their souls after the fact, because at the end of the day, most of them were not evil. They were fighting for their country, just as she was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But here, Lute had ended the lives of over half of the army without even caring to see their faces. Without giving them the honor of a fair death. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was over so quickly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that not a good thing, Milady?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... Of course I don’t want the fighting to last longer than it has to be… but… all those deaths- we never even met them. It feels… unfair, to kill someone without seeing them. It feels cowardly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was silence for a moment, peppered with the dull thuds of more debris and bodies hitting the ship around them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Many would argue that not seeing your enemy makes waging war easier. That it helps to alleviate the guilt, because you don’t have to see the light leave the enemy’s eyes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eirika stared out into the blackness, avoiding the gaze of the bodies hanging just out of reach.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t agree any less.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They drifted there for a bit, letting the debris flow around them like an ugly, macabre stream. They had to wait for the scouts to assess the situation before making their next move, so there was nothing to do but raise the shields to their maximum and stay on guard. Eirika removed Franz from the wall, holding the device to her chest in a poor excuse for a comforting hug (more for her than for her retainer, she would admit). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was awakened from a doze by a steady beeping sound, similar to the one that had woken her up that morning. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is that sound?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“An incoming transmission from inside of the fortress.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Brother?!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, this is from… I’m not sure actually; the identification is scrambled.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Should we answer?” She asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I- Yes. I think we should, no harm can come to us through a simple transmission. It may be the enemy with surrender conditions.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The massive window flickered then, transforming itself into a screen, much like the one on her phone, or the larger one on her desk. On it, the symbol or Renais flickered to life, above the words ‘SOUND ONLY’ written in bold, blocky letters.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Princess Eirika, Seth,” a voice regarded the two of them, and despite the static in the speakers she recognized it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Orson.” Seth confirmed the man’s identity. Eirika breathed a sigh of relief, unsure what she would have done if confronted with the actual enemy and all their demands. “I haven’t gotten an update from you in a while, were you cut off from the network in some way?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” the voice responded, “I’m afraid I was briefly hacked, but everything should be back in order now. Forde was kind enough to lend me some of his server space. When I was hacked, I was removed from the network; Seth, would you be so kind as to let me back in?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The words ‘establishing connection’ appeared at the bottom of the screen on her desk, followed by the phrase ‘NOW CONNECTED TO SYSTEM: ORSON’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ah, so he wasn’t human in this universe either. She didn’t know what a server was (those black towers in the basement?), but whatever ‘hacking’ was, it sounded painful. The sound of an axe cleaving through skin and bone came to mind, and she shuddered subconsciously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is Ephraim alright?” She piped up, addressing the screen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Princess, I can assure you he still lives. We have been keeping him well protected and safe since our capture.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“May I speak to him then? Is that possible?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alas,” the voice said, somber now, “he is unavailable at the moment, but once you free our ship, I’m sure he would be more than happy to greet you in person. If you’ll excuse me, Princess, Seth and I need to talk logistics for a moment, in order to find the best route into the fortress.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both machines became quiet, but Eirika watched as little shapes and pictures moved around on the desk screen. Walls of text were generated in mere moments, and lines of information were typed in an instant before disappearing, replaced with updated information. The whole process only took about thirty seconds before Seth spoke again, this time to both Orson and Eirika (who would not be able to participate in a networked file sharing conversation, of course). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How long have you been captive, Orson?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Two weeks, three days, eleven minutes and counting. We were forced to surrender after one of our engines was destroyed, but we haven’t abandoned the ship yet. Say, Seth, I am curious to find that there is little information on your own status in this information you have shared with me… how fares Renais?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was another clunk, this time from below the floor rather than from a body hitting the window. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Renais has fallen. The king is dead.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eirika’s stomach flipped. So her father had suffered a similar fate here too? Though, if the enemy had the kind of power that Lute did, she wasn’t surprised. A single man was no match for such a powerful weapon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am sorry to hear that. You have my heartfelt condolences, my lady,” Orson said, tone not changing whatsoever. This seemed to be a common theme between her more mechanically minded allies. What they had gained in thinking speed, they had lost in emotive empathy, not that it made very much of a difference in Seth’s case. She thanked Orson for his concern regardless of how uncaring he sounded. It was probably just a computer thing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The Grado army is in pursuit of the princess because of the code she carries,” Seth commented, “Ephraim has a similar one on his phone. We must make sure that both the Prince and the code remain safe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If Grado is after them, it may be advisable to give them to someone else. Seth or I could encrypt it for you, and keep it safe on one of our own personal servers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps, but…” She hadn’t known about the code before, but she clutched the phone in her pocket tightly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are in danger as long as you are in possession of the code, Princess. One of us is far better equipped to hide it if the empire tries to find it, as opposed to that flimsy little device you have there. What do you say? We are built to protect the treasures of Renais with our lives, so please hand it over.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She pulled the phone out of her pocket, still hesitating slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t tell him anything.” Seth spoke up before Eirika could respond, sounding deadly serious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm? Seth, you’re locking me out again… What seems to be the matter?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There is something very wrong with you, Orson. Too many things aren’t adding up. How were you hacked and miraculously repaired, even while imprisoned within an enemy base? Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> we speak to the prince, who is on the same ship as you at this very moment? Why are you calling through an unprotected line rather than a secure connection like the others? How do you know about the codes? And why,” he continued, “did you just upload a worm into our shared server space?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a heavy pause.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You haven’t changed a bit, Seth. If only the Princess had picked up this call, not you. Even in your sorry state, you will not be deceived, hm?” For the first time since the start of the call, Orson’s tone changed. He almost sounded giddy as he laughed, the sound unnatural and grating in Eirika’s ears. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did you betray Renais?” Seth asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They made me an offer. My finest wish…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The screen flickered then, and what once was the symbol of Eirika’s country morphed and changed into a wave of static, and then…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was gruesome. The body of a woman, laid naked on a table, opened up from the base of her neck to her groin. Inside of her exposed insides, human organs twisted and coiled around unnatural shards of blinking, clicking metal. Raw flesh chafed hard against metal and rubber cables, bound around twitching intestines. Her face was obscured by wires, pouring out of every orifice like a frozen waterfall, shifting against each other as the muscles in the woman’s jaw tightened over and over again with each laborious breath. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as soon as the image appeared, it was gone. Seth shut the call down immediately, leaving her gawking in the darkness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He… that woman- she was. She was still alive.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seth did not answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the day was a blur. The woman would not leave her thoughts. It was the most horrible thing Eirika had ever seen, even more so than the shambling corpses of the dead that now roamed her homeland. Seth did his best to comfort her, which led to where she was now, in the basement, slumped against one of the server towers, holding Franz tightly to her chest and watching the computer light flicker and change before her eyes. Seth wasn’t very good at small talk, but discussions of what she would like to do once she saw her brother kept her mind from drifting back to Orson and-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should get some sleep, Princess. We won’t be docking until tomorrow.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She traced the cracks in the glass with her fingers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth… is every day in this world truly so terrifying?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’ll admit most days are rather mundane. You picked a rather terrible time to visit,” he said, dry sense of humor unscathed despite the circumstances.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it usually this lonely? Back at home… we all travel together, so I see everyone almost every day… I haven’t seen another person’s face since I got here. Of course you’re good company, but…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… understand, Princess. Unfortunately, thus far you have been primarily traveling alone, though I’m sure we can arrange for your transfer to another ship, should you desire more company.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe… would you come with me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you so desire. And if there is room, of course.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course… and Franz?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, you can take Franz wherever you like. We are both yours to command.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed, leaning into the warm surface of the machine behind her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I would like that then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The exhaustion of the day was setting in, and Eirika felt herself being pulled towards sleep, despite Seth’s protests that she should return to her bed. A dull pain in her back prevented her from getting too cozy, however. Reluctantly, she made her way back upstairs, past the great window, and into her little room. The bed was just as soft as it was when she first woke, and she was asleep before she hit the pillow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of someone knocking on wood woke her, many hours later. The dim light of the early morning sun was her first indication that she had been saved from another day in a futuristic hell, and she sprang to her feet. The cold of the stone tiles was the warmest thing she could have imagined, and she grinned like a madwoman as she reached for the door, flinging it open to find Franz, agape at her record reaction time. She wasted no time in hugging him, disregarding his squawk of surprise. Bringing her hands to his face, which was still not free of baby fat, she beamed as he sputtered out questions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Franz, you have no idea how happy I am to see you… what a day I had yesterday… I’m relieved to see you’re alright!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“O-oh! I’m… glad to hear you're doing well yourself, my lady! The General warned me you might not be doing so great ‘cause of everything that happened yesterday, so he asked me to come see if you’re up to meet with him. Also did you… did you sleep in your clothes last night?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose I must have, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Where is he?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, with Kyle and Forde I think, probably in the courtyard-” Eirika cut him off with a beaming smile, not bothering to find her boots as she raced past him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> It didn’t take her long to find the three knights, and it took her even less time to practically launch herself at Seth, who nearly elbowed her in the face in surprise. Over the sounds of his protests and Forde’s laughter, she began to giggle to herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yes, she was home. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>that feeling when you think you're in star trek, but it turns out you're actually in system shock 2 </p>
<p>thank you all for indulging me in my weird semi-scifi au</p>
<p>holy fuck that rhymed</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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